Geologic Time
Fossil Mall
Science Section
 

 

  

Chart of Geologic Time:
Link to expanded chart with Paleobiology:
"visit links for more information"

 

 

 

 

 
Geologic Time is subdivided into a number of categories. The major categories (presented here) are:

Eons are divided into...
Eras which are divided into...
Periods and subperiods which are divided into...
Epochs. (Not shown here are Epochal subdivisions referred to as "ages")

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phanerozoic EON
(544 mya to present)

"The age of visible life"
ERA
Periods
EPOCH

Cenozoic Era
(65 mya to today)

Quaternary (1.8 mya to today)

Holocene (11,000 years to today)
Pleistocene (1.8 mya to 11,000 yrs)
Tertiary (65 to 1.8 mya) Pliocene (5 to 1.8 mya)
Miocene (23 to 5 mya)
Oligocene (38 to 23 mya)
Eocene (54 to 37 mya)
Paleocene (65 to 54 mya)
Mesozoic Era
(245 to 65 mya)

Cretaceous (146 to 65 mya)

Divided
as:

Upper;

Middle;

Lower

Jurassic (208 to 146 mya)
Triassic (245 to 208 mya)

 

Paleozoic Era
(544 to 245 mya)

 Permian (286 to 245 mya)
Carboniferous
(360 to 286 mya)
Pennsylvanian (325 to 286 mya)
Mississippian (360 to 325 mya)
Devonian (410 to 360 mya)
Silurian (440 to 410 mya)
Ordovician (500 to 440 mya)
Cambrian (544 to 500 mya) Tommotian (530 to 527 mya)

 

Precambrian Time
(4,500 to 544 mya)

"deep time on earth"

 Proterozoic Era
(2500 to 544 mya)
Vendian (650 to 544 mya) or Ediacaran
No Epochs
Neoproterozoic (900 to 544 mya) - Late
Mesoproterozoic (1600 to 900 mya) - Middle
Paleoproterozoic (2500 to 1600 mya) - Early

Archaean
(3800 to 2500 mya)
Hadean
(4500 to 3800 mya)